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According to Peter Robinson we could be competing for gold in the negotiating Olympics in 2012. But was it just a joke?

Besides being an Olympic year, 2012 is the date when the sunset clause in the Justice Ministry legislation kicks in. Earlier this week, speaking on Good Morning Ulster, the DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds indicated he did not think a Sinn Fein Justice Minister would be possible on the other side of 2012.

But telling Margaret Ritchie off for dismissing the Hillsborough agreement, Gerry Adams stresses the temporary nature of the cross community appointment, explaining that "the fact is that Sinn Féin has made a temporary arrangements to 2012 to ensure that the legislative Assembly can legislate on policing and justice issues. As part of this we have set aside Sinn Féin's rightful claim to the Justice Ministry in return for the DUP doing the same." Mr Adams goes on to describe the arrangements as "interim".

Maybe we should hear from Gordon Brown on this score. Questioned about the Sunset Clause by David Cameron on Monday the Prime Minister told MPs "as for 2012- the point at which people have got to consider again the issue of the Department of Justice -it is true to say that the parties agreed that it should not at this point be changed, and that to do so might have made it more difficult to get the agreement they have. However, I have no doubt that if the devolution of policing and justice works, all parties will want it to move forward in exactly the way that has been designed, including after 2012."

But of course Mr Brown may not the Prime Minister by then, and there's also the little matter of the next Assembly elections in 2011 to get over before the Sunset Clause kicks in.

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